Airport Hassle
by Raventhedarkgoddess
Summary: When Serenity and Malik, thanks to a contest of Mai's, end up locked up together, will they survive each other for two straight days? Reposted, note inside, SerenityxMalik
1. Airport Hassle

Raventhedarkgoddess: TAKE THREE! Now I'm pissed at whoever reported this story and got it removed, it's not INTERACTIVE, you ass!

Chapter One: Wanna Bet?

A very tired Yugi Muto stretched both arms up into the air in the backseat of the rented van the entire gang was currently riding in. "It's been a long few weeks," he said to no one in particular.

"We've taken another tournament, Yugi," said Yami, smiling at him from the seat next to him. Lately, a strange occurence had made it so that the Yamis were in seperate bodies from the hosts unless they were dueling or going through a tough time and in need of support.

"You really beat everyone out, Yug. Me included." Joey ruffled his own dirty blonde hair, trying to act like a good sport. His voice held a bitter edge, however, which Mai picked up on.

"Going to take it to heart, Wheeler?" Mai asked sarcasticly, both eyes straight ahead on the road. The noise of the others was starting to get to her, however, and she was driving in more of a circle pattern than anything else between the two lanes.

"Ignore the barking mutt, Mai. He's just mad because he didn't make it to the last round," sneered Kaiba, his face reveling dislike.

"There are several of us who didn't, Kaiba. Quit bragging about getting your ass kicked," Bakura said, putting an end to Kaiba's speech before it began.

"Hey, my big brother did fine. Don't listen to them, big brother. They're just mad because you beat them," Mokuba said, trying to reassure Kaiba in his small voice.

"He did fine if you like losing all the time," Malik replied vaugly, looking over at his Yami, who was messing around with his spikey hair in the mirror, causing Mai to swerve once again to see the truck passing her.

"I have to agree with Bakura," Ryou said, ignoring the pain in his left shoulder from smacking off the window so many times.

"Quiet before I kick your Brittish butt!" Warned Kaiba.

"Leave my vessal be," said Bakura. "I still need him even with my own body, you do realize.

"Shut up. You're all fools, you know that?" Marik quit staring at himself vainly in the mirror and turned to face the fight instead.

"Now, can't we all quit fighting?" Tea threw her brown hair away from her eyes and stared at the group, trying to figure out why her friends insisted on fighting each other all the time.

"Yes, please quit," Serenity agreed. She looked at all the boys with her soft grey eyes, hoping she could con them into being quiet.

"We're all just a bit tired from dueling. No one means it, Serenity." Ishizu's soft voice floated up from the back of the van. She was carressing her deck between her hands as she spoke, happy to have finally defeated Kaiba this time around.

"Ya, Serenity. Don't worry," Tristan said in a low voice. Maybe Serenity will think more of me now, he thought to himself.

"YOU didn't even duel, and you're acting just like the rest of us, Tristan?" Duke glared at him. "One would think that cheerleading would be a bit less stressful than dueling."

Tristan lost his temper. "Wanna GO?" He yelled, flexing his arms and holding up both fists.

"YA!" Duke shot back easily. Grabbing Tristan around the head, he pushed his head back into the seat so that Tristan's head made a quiet noise on the padded headrest.

"Oh, shit! Did he mess up my hair?" Both Tristan's hands went up, feeling to make sure that his hair was in the correct postition. Everyone else preformed a collective group sweatdrop.

"Aren't we all friends here? I thought we were, going into this tourney, but losing creates no hard feelings, right?" Yugi looked around at all his friends, hoping for a response to his yelled question.

Joey continuted to glare across the way at Kaiba and Marik. "Yug, why do you even bother?" He asked, his voice caught in a snarling growl.

"Because we could all be best friends if we didn't fight so much," Yugi responded, trying to keep his voice mellow.

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to be friendship happy, so I'm going to agree with Yugi," Tea said sweetly and stupidly.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" Yami asked Tea. "Yugi can fight for what he belives in without your interferment."

"Baka Pharaoh, your vessal is the most obnoxious kid in the world," Bakura said with one hand on his millenium ring.

Yami looked over with anger in his face. "Who asked you, tomb robber?" He thundered.

"Well, I think he's right! Fighting is fun, it brings out the evil in the world, it..." Malik was cut off.

"I don't need the assistence of someone with such girly hair!" Bakura said cleanly.

"That's it, my hair is NOT girly!" Malik thundered.

"My Yami has a point..." Ryou admitted under his breath.

"Your hair is just as girly!" Marik pointed out, shutting down Ryou's comment.

"SHUT UP! I AM TRYING TO DRIVE!" Mai's voice cut over everyone else as she deperatly tried to resist the urge to turn around and throatle everyone making noise.

"Quick Mai, left," Ishizu hollered loudly, so that Mai jerked the steering wheel the whole way around to make the quick curve in the road. Various shouting, cursing, and groaning was heard as heads smacked off other heads, seats, and windows and seatbelts dug into shoulders. Mai ignored the cursing, biting into her lower lip to keep from yelling back at them that next time they could drive their own damn van.

"Owww..." Serenity cried out, having rammed off of the headrest and then the window hard when Marik had run his head off of hers.

"You okay, sis?" Joey turned to her to check the side of her head, one hand running itself lovingly through her hair, the other near the already forming bruise.

"Ya, thanks, Joey." Serenity smiled adoringly at her brother.

"Gee, look at the sibling love." Marik taunted them both.

"What's wrong with caring about your siblings?" Mokuba asked, his voice shaking with a little bit of hurt and anger.

"It's pointless, that's what!" Marik shot back, his voice rising carefully above everyone else's, causing silence to fall.

"I feel really hurt now..."

"I'm sorry he said that, sis." Malik gently touched Ishizu's arm.

"Nothing's wrong with it. These idiots just don't know anything about it," Kaiba said feircly. "Just ignore him, Mokuba."

"Hey, only a few people here are idiots!" Duke shot back loudly. I hate being thought of on the same scale as Tristan, he added to himself.

"Unless you all want to be stuck in America forever, feel free to come out of the van." Mai tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and scowled at everyone as they fought, her violet eyes hiding all of her feelings about driving and the pain of her pounding headache behind her annoyed look.

"AHH! We have to catch the plan in fifteen minutes and my hair is still messed up!" Tristan leaned into a side-veiw mirror, trying his hardest to make his hair look normal. No one else could see any difference in how it looked.

"No one cares about your hair!" Bakura snapped, jumping from one foot to the other in the deep snow all around them, attempting to keep warm.

"Hey, at least I don't look girly!" Tristan shot back, hoping to end the converstaion with a simple shutdown.

"ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP!" A sudden voice cut over and through all the arguing, quickly causing everyone to fall silent and look over at the shivering, red-faced Serenity, who's normally mellow eyes were now full of a strong surge of anger. Everyone's faces held an idenical expression: Shock at Serenity's sudden yelling.

"Sis..." Joey began, his voice soft.

"Don't 'sis' me! Let's just catch the plane and go home!" She calmed down slightly. "I'm sorry, Joey, but my head hurts, I'm cold, and everyone just won't quit." Serenity started to sulk toward the building and everyone followed.

"Don't feel badly, Joey. She's just under the weather," Yugi tried to point out, unsure why he even bothered lying to himself.

"Sure hope you're right," Joey mumbled with an indecisive shrug as they followed the others into the lobby.

_In the Airport..._

Mai set down a large stack of tickets on the counter before the long-nailed, grey-haired, blue eyed female receptionist. "We're on the plane to Domino City, Japan," Mai said in a haggered voice, trying to ignore Marik and Bakura caught up in some petty argument behind her.

"Are you crazy, kid? We had to cancel that flight till tomorow morning." She looked at Mai, her eyes halfway between amusement and anger.

"WHAT?" Duke thundered.

"Sorry, kids. There's a big hurricane right in the middle of both flight paths to Domino." She looked at Duke as if daring him to complain anymore.

"Thank you anyway." Mai managed to keep her cool as the group walked over and sat in the waiting area.

"You THANKED her? We have no hotel Mai. Not exactly something to thank her for," Joey snapped.

"Could go find another one?" Duke asked.

"Duke, every duelist in the country just found out that they can't go home until tomorow. We won't find anywhere." Yugi sighed.

The grey haired old woman turned to them. "Kids, you can stay here the night. No other flights leave, so I'm locking you in. Is that okay with you? Without waiting for an answer, she shut and locked the door.

"That will be fine." Yami said to the shutting door.

As soon as the old woman's footsteps faded away, Bakura rounded on Yami. "FINE? WE ARE LOCKED IN AN AIRPORT AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS FINE?" He roared.

"It'll be fine," Tea crooned.

"This is way creepy! We're going to leave, aren't we, big brother?" Serenity asked as she clutched to his arm.

"And go WHERE? That van was a rental, so they'll be here to pick it up tonight." Mai looked out the window at the falling snow.

"Face facts, guys. We are stuck here." Ryou said, ending any further argument.

"It's not as bad as we think..." Ishizu muttered by way of comfort.

"No, it's worse," Kaiba snapped loudly at her.

"We'll be fine, big brother, won't we?" Mokuba asked.

"No, we won't," Malik taunted.

"It'll be okay, Serenity." Joey whipered softly to his sister as he stroked her hair.

"No it won't. Hell-Sent demons will be here at midnight to devour you, Serenity Wheeler." Malik continued to taunt her in his freaky voice.

"WHOA! Hey, that's enough. YOU had better shut up! You are being nothing but annoying, and not helping this situation at all!" Serenity stared him straight in the eyes, waiting for his retaliation.

"Why? Gonna hurt me if I don't?" Malik hissed back.

"I bet you wouldn't put up with me for more than a day! Niceness might kill you!" She shot back, her headache and her sudden annoyence at Malik making her voice hint at her irritance.

"Speaking of a bet, why not prove it here and now?" Mai asked slowly.

"Care to...explain a little more?" Kaiba looked up from where he was sitting on the floor in vauge intrest.

"What are you sceaming now, Mai?" Joey asked.

"Well, the shipping room has a camrea. So what if we shut both of them in there and had them stay the whole night? We could bet on who asked to be let out first, and the one still standing would win." She looked around at the others for suport.

"Intriging" Ishizu mumbled.

"I like that idea, big brother." Mokuba said warmly to Seto.

"I'm game. I'll kill you with my niceness!" Serenity annouced, shocking them all.

"What makes you think I will even involve myself in this stupid game?" Malik snapped back.

"Fine, have it your way. You're just a big chicken who can't fly but is trying anyway. You're hair is your ruffled feathers from trying so hard." Serenity stuck her tounge out at him.

"Okay, that's it. I'm gonna win." He looked her straight in both eyes.

"Rules. No killing or harming each other. I think anything else is fine." Mai ended her rules sweetly and took bets on both. Between

Yugi,Joey,Yami,Tristan,Tea,Duke,Ryou, and Kaiba there was a total of 100,100,999. (Most from Kaiba) Malik,Ishizu,Moukba,and Bakura had bet 6,000 on Malik.

"I'll be colecting and keeping all money until the end." Mai took the money from everyone.

"Are you sure about this?" Joey asked his sister. "You don't have to prove anything.

"I'm going in." With that, Serenity and Malik walked into the room, unaware of how long a night could truly be.

I understand that some of you have read this before, but it got removed. So please reveiw again.


	2. As The Night Begins

Here's chapter Two. Enjoy.

As The Night Begins

"Malik, why don't you quit talking to yourself?" She said sweetly. Malik was sitting alone in a corner, talking to himself, mumbling ugly death threats.

"How do I get myself into this?" He hissed at her, meaning to be heard for once.

"Simple..." Serenity said with a smile. "You're a Chicken-boy who can't stand to be called a chicken-boy."

"You are dead, girl!" Malik shot out at her, trying to jerk her legs out from under her body.

"God, five minutes and they're at each other." Joey looked over at them, worry clouding his face.

"That was the point, mutt." Mai tried not to let her own worry show.

"Don't call me that," Joey snapped at her, his face turning an ugly shade of red and purple.

"The truth hurts, Wheeler," Kaiba jeered.

"You would know, money-making, ugly, fat,JERK!" Joey lost his temper with Kaiba.

"Joey, on, don't..." Yugi struggled to find the words to say to stop them both.

"Come on, big brother!" Mokuba yelled.

"Mokuba, don't tell them to keep at it!" Yugi said, smacking himself in the head.

"You want the truth, dog?" Kaiba continued.

"STOP IT!" Tea hollered.

"The girl has a point...That's the death match, not here," Bakura said, pointing one hand toward the screen.

"They can't hurt one another, Bakura," Mai said as she turned to face the screens and see what he was pointing at.

"Coulda fooled me," Ryou said off-handedly, staring at the screen.

"GET OFF MY HAIR, FREAK!" Serenity's voice came loudly.

"Say 'Malik Ishtar is not a chicken. He is my idol.'" Malik seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Are you out of your mind!" Another jerk on her hair set her to reeling. "Ow!"

"Yes, now say it!" Malik smirked, obviously thinking he had won.

"This is amusing," Marik said in a light voice.

"No, it isn't. Come off it, Marik!" Ishizu hollered.

"Serenity is holding out quite well," Yami said, as if to reassure everyone on Serenity's side.

"That's my sister. When I get my hands on that mind-controling sleezball, I'll..." His voice broke off as Tristan set his hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa, dude." Tristan made a 'cool it' motion behind his back.

Serenity kicked out backwards in a very swift motion, connecting with the area straight between Malik's legs. "Let go!" She snapped insistently.

"Ow!"

"Serenity is fine!" Duke said, hoping that would calm Joey, who was struggling to get away from Tristan.

"I don't know...They are in there until seven tommorow..." Mai looked uncertain.

"What aren't they aloud to do, kill each other?" Ishizu asked.

"Pretty much," Mai responded miserably.

"I thought you said no abuse." Joey slipped right into his overprotective older brother mode.

"I forgot to write it in the rules," Mai said with a blush. Everyone around her preformed an anime faint.

"HOW could you forget THAT?" Joey practiticly yelled.

"I just hope no one dies..." Ishizu muttered sadly.

"They won't die...You really don't think that, do you?" Tea was panicing.

"Tea, shut up," Yami said, trying to hide his own worry.

"Look at this..." Marik said, his voice gleeful.

"You little..." Malik was still cursing Serenity out.

"Just stay off me," Serenity snapped.

"What the hell was that for?"

Serenity mocked a thinking pose. "I it be because you pulled my hair?"

"Say it or I'll do it again!" His voice was hard.

"Stay off me or I'll kick you again!" She seemed determined.

"You know what your problem is? Either you sit around and cry or you act really tough, like your all big and bad. If you would pick a definate personality, maybe we wouldn't all hate you so much!" Malik glared at her. "Make up your fricken mind about who you are!"

"Excuse me, you are the one they all hate! They like me, thank you!" Serenity stared him down. Don't they? She thought.

"Mai and even Tea seem to be aloud to do more stuff than you. They wander around, and you're always at someone's side, staying there, behaving. So tell me: Who's really wrong?" He smirked, his point brought across.

"At least I'm not a mutant, evil, good-for-nothing freak!" She said loosly, ignoring his last speech.

"That's it!" Malik grabbed a fistfull of her brown hair. "Mutants can fight, you know!"

"So can well-behaved little girls!"

"It's too much! Make them stop, Mai," Tea whined.

"She can't. Please quit whining." Ishizu's voice was stern.

"I don't whine!" Tea hissed.

"Tea, she's right." Yami was insistent.

"YOU'RE ALL SO MEAN!" Tea yelled.

"What do you know about mean?" Bakura quipped.

"Quit arguing!" Duke managed to choke out.

"Why, you scared?" Tristan asked mockingly.

"QUIET!" Yugi hollered. The whole group fell to silence.

"We go to a tourament, and just because you don't win, you act like animals toward one another. Those two are fighting it out, but can't you just leave each other the hell alone?" Yugi was panting, his small shoulders heaving up and down.

"Come here, Yugi," Yami said, coaxing Yugi to his side.

"I won! Get lost!" Said Serenity in a triupment voice.

"NO!"

Please reveiw. Second chapter all done.


	3. And a Prank War Begins

Raventhedarkgoddess: I lost all my old files anyway, so this story is going to be different from the first one anyway. Enjoy chapter three.

**Chapter Three: And a Prank War Begins**

"I said get out!" Serenity whined, her voice almost hissing.

"I said NO!" Malik repeated, lunging at her once more. Serenity struggled to roll out of the way as he caught onto her.

Everyone in the control room was too busy watching Yami and Bakura yelling at each other to notice the fight behind them at first. "Say that my hair is not girly," Bakura barked at Yami, holding him in complete headlock. Yami weakly kicked out, connecting with Bakura's nuts so that Bakura yelped.

"No, I don't think I will," Yami said, dusting himself off and straightening his blue jacket slowly. Bakura stood there, half whining, half simpering at Yami.

"Oh my God," Mai said quietly, her violet eyes glued to the screen in disgust and worry.

Malik had fallen on top of Serenity, who was fighting to get him off. Due to the fact that his legs were spread over her and his head to her face, the scene disturbed the entire watching crew. "He wouldn't dare!" Joey hissed.

"Get off me, you wacko. What the hell were you trying to do?" Serenity pulled away from him, running one hand over her shirt, checking for undone buttons as she shot him a few very nasty looks, playing the other hand over her brown hair in hopes of untangling the desprete knots.

Malik realized what she meant. "I FELL on you, for God's sake," he snapped. "You're as stupid as you are vain," he added, trying to keep her from seeing the blush creeping into both his pale cheeks by rearanging his blonde hair over the sides of his face.

Tristan watched the screen stupidly. "Wait, WHAT did he do?" He finally asked. Everyone else muttered something, and a small die hit him neatly in the back of the head.

"Don't talk anymore, alright? Save me some aggrivation," Duke added.

"You stupid jerk!" Tristan yelled, and their squabbling once again became background noise.

Serenity still appered badly shaken. _What the hell is his problem?_ She thought to herself.

"I don't understand why my brother is acting this way," Ishizu said sadly.

"You probably don't want to know, Ishizu," Yami said in his gentle tone from her side. She didn't remember him being there before, but said nothing and nodded to him. _Why does he stand so close, and use my name?_ Ishizu thought confusedly.

Duke rammed Tristan's head off the computer desk next to Mai's hand, making her yell. "Quiet!" She hollored, stopping everyone. "Can't a girl get any damn peace?" She muttered.

"Don't worry, Mai. It'll be okay" Joey said, his brown eyes locking with her violet ones for a moment, making her want to belive in what he'd just said.

Meanwhile, Marik had cornered Tea and was enjoying every second of making fun of her. "Looks like your girlfriend's not going to pull through," He said confidently, smirking down at her. She locked eyes with him, but she blinked long before he did.

"Serenity'll be fine," she said, not just to disprove Marik but to reassure herself. But he only laughed in response to her feeble protests and started poking her in the side, which caused her to make a small squeaking noise. "Cut it out," she hissed at him, making him laugh harder as she squeaked again.

Kaiba looked over to Marik and Tea and smirked, happy to see the brown-headed girl in trouble. He and Mokuba stayed away from the action, their traveling chess set spread between them both. Mokuba looked at Kaiba as if asking why Kaiba didn't get up to help, but Kaiba only shook his head, causing Mokuba to remain seated.

Suddenly Bakura stood up and moved to Tea and Marik. "Get off her, for Christ's sake."

"Why should I? What's the big bad tombrobber going to do to me?" He poked Tea again, daring Bakura to come at him.

Bakura hurled a punch in Marik's direction. Marik fell on his back with a tiny grunting noise. "Fine, I'll leave the damned girl alone," he hissed through his teeth, obviously in more pain than he was willing to show.

"Bakura..." Tea stared at him, her peircing blue-eyed stare going straight through him. "Thank you." She set her hand on his shoulder. If everyone hadn't begun goggling at them, he would have let her rest it there. Instead, he brushed her off like a bug.

"It wasn't for you. I just couldn't stand that annoying squeaking noise you make." Trying his best at a smirk, he returned to Ryou, and the pair of them went back to their seats in front of the computers. Ryou gave him a suggestive look and recived only a smack in his head in return, which caused him to turn away, laughing and chanting under his breath. "Bakura loves Tea," He whispered, earning himself another solid smack.

Suddenly the attention was called back to the room. "Malik?" Serenity said softly.

"What do you want?" he replyed, his hands under head, holding his head up, bent almost double as if he wanted nothing better than to leave the room and disapper.

"I just wanted to tell you... Marik asked me to tell you that he and I have been going out for several months." Serenity looked at him, her grey eyes completly sincere.

"You've been WHAT?" Malik hollered. "You, and my YAMI..." He trailed off, his eyes widening in his head.

"I've been WHAT?" Marik hollored as the whole group, sweatdropping, turned to face him. "I'll go in there and KILL HER!"

"You can't," Ryou reminded him, and he and his Yami wore idenical smirks that made Marik kick the wall and hop around, complaining about his foot.

"I'm going to go out there and KILL HIM!" Malik started for the door, hand to the knob before he stopped to look at Serenity. Her calm facade left her, and she broke down into laughter. "You stupid little..."

Serenity's grin widened. "You should have seen your face!"

"Is this a prank war? Are you trying to trick me?"

"Maybe."

"Then you're on!"

And so, the prank war that would carry on the rest of the night had begun.

Raventhedarkgoddess: I'm still trying to keep this close to my original storyline. Please, reveiw


	4. Retaliation

_Raventhedarkgoddess: Here we go, people. One bored girl with too much time on her hands is back to update again._

**Chapter Four: Retaliation**

Malik sat in the corner, sulking and thinking after Serenity's open attack. Serenity herself was reading a book Mai had lent her that she'd never gotten around to, the pages soft rustling the only thing to be heard, aside from Malik's occasional soft remark, snicker, grunt, or groan when he shifted posistions in the otherwise silent lugage room.

The area in front of the veiwing montor could not have been more different.

"Leave Tea alone," Bakura said quietly to Kaiba, who was berating her in a loud voice about how she had knocked his chess set over.

"Mokuba and I have been playing that all night, you clutz! So of COURSE you would HAVE to knock it over! And why were you moving the peices around anyway? Why were you anywhere near it?" Kaiba practicly screamed at her, fixing his jacket as he moved in on her again.

"I'm sorry, but the posisitons looked much cooler the way I had them. And your stupid peices wouldn't BE on the floor if Marik hadn't POKED me," Tea shot back coldly.

Marik made no response, just laughed. Kaiba continued to rant loudly, in a way that made no sense to anyone, and Tea tried to walk away. He brought his hand down on her arm. "I'm not DONE!" He pulled, and Tea let out a little squeak of pain.

"Leave her alone, damn you." Bakura walked up to Kaiba, one hand to the Millenium Ring, the other buried in his pocket.

"Defensive, Bakura. If I didn't know you better, I would almost want to say you liked her. I mean, defending someone twice in one night? You never even defend Ryou." Kaiba's voice was vicious, almost containing a sly edge.

"I would back off if I were you..." Ryou muttered, catching his Yami's glare, but Kaiba continued to taunt. Only he, Ryou, would be able to get away with taunting Bakura, and he knew it. Ryou was needed, but Kaiba was not.

Bakura sent Kaiba sailing into a nearby wall.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" Yugi couldn't take his friends anymore, couldnt' understand why everyone was so animal, so totally evil toward one another. "It was only a tournament! It's only a game! You're all people here!"

"Step back, Yugi." Yami led Yugi away from the fight and the group in general in hopes of calming him down. Mai was looking ashen next to Joey: She hated violence of any type, paritcuarly senseless violence. She did not object to Joey's hand on her shoulder, at least not at first.

"Please! Calm down!" Ishizu cried, catching sight of Mai and of Yami in the corner with Yugi.

"Why? Ishizu, this is entertaining." Marik's cold laugh was irritating, mocking.

"No! No! This is stupid!" Tea was near tears.

"It's all my fault," Mai whispered.

"Not your fault we're stuck here, Mai," Joey whispered back, squeezing her shoulder. Mai turned a grateful eye on him, then relaxed against him.

Mokuba and Kaiba had taken leave to their seats in front of the video camera once more. "Come here and see this," Mokuba called. The first sign of more trouble than ever.

Malik was up, standing between the suitcases. The gang's luggage was piled in a corner, and Malik stood over it, grinning. "What have we here? I wonder what sorts of things you brought..." Malik looked through the pile.

"He has no right to go through my stuff!" Kaiba hollored, standing up.

"What's the matter, rich boy? Money-shaped teddy bear in there you don't want us to see?" Joey taunted from where he sat next to Mai, who had finally pushed his hand away.

"Watch it, Wheeler!" He turned on his heel, shoving a returning Yugi and Yami to one side. "I'm going to stop him!"

"You can't," Yami said softly. "Unless you want to part with your money."

Kaiba just growled in reply and went back to his little brother. "Get out of my stuff," Serentiy squealed in a high voice.

Assorted objects began to fly. "Bet she looks sexy in those underwear," Tristan said to Duke, who nodded eagerly, both practicly drooling until Joey raised one of his fists.

"Shorts, socks, book, shirt, brush..." Each object hit Serenity in the head as Malik said it. "What's this?"

"What is that, Joey?" Tea whispered.

"Her diary."

"You wouldn't dare open that, you evil, you foul... You THING, YOU!" The soft rustle of the pages was the only answer.

"Very inimate details of your life here..." Malik taunted finally.

"You wouldn't dare read those!" Serenity's face was dangerously red.

"Wouldn't I?"

_Raventhedarkgoddess: There, what do you think? Should he read it or not? Your pick, the story can go either way._


	5. Secrets Untold

_Raventhedarkgoddess: Yay, you like me and you want me to update. I feel so loved. Anywho, sorry this took so long..._

**Chapter Five: The Not-So-Secret Life of Serenity Wheeler**

"Wouldn't I?" The words challenged her, warned her that something might be happening, something that she did not want to have happen.

"You won't," she threatened.

"September 1, 2004 A new tournament..." He stopped to smirk "There's so many amusing entries here I can't even begin to pick one."

"Give it back!" Serenity lept for his arm, aiming only for her book. She missed by several inches, and everyone watching had to wince: She landed, headlong, into one of the hard walls, and a rack of suitcases tumbled back on top of her. Malik laughed cruely.

"He won't do it," Ishizu said. "I have faith in my brother."

"Do you now?" Marik laughed. "Even without me, he's a pretty evil kid."

"Shut up!" Ishizu ordered, losing her cool, flipping her hair back, staring coldly at the spirit that had once been within her brother.

"Calm yourself, Ishizu." Yami was calm, but his arm around her back sent shivers up and down her spine. _I don't remember him ever standing this close to me, or talking to me so tenderly about anything..._

"Yes, my pharoah," she whispered. His lips twisted into what might have been a half-smile, was at any rate amusement.

"Call me Yami," he insisted gently. Ishizu nodded. _Yami, _she thought, rolling the word around in her mind. _Was that a smile he gave me? _She would never be certain, but she could still hope... _Pay attention, _she ordered herself.

Tea leaned her head into the nearest thing to her: Bakura. Ryou watched them wordlessly, grinning. He knew Bakura wanted her, but he would also get throttled if that secret ever left his mouth. He contented himself with saying, "Bakura..."

"You're warm," Tea muttered to him. Bakura considered wrapping her in his arms while no one but Ryou was looking: The boy wouldn't tell anyone. Tea's eyes were twinkling in the light, whispering that everything could work for them. _She really trusts me_, he found himself thinking.

"Shut up, Ryou." Everyone turned to look at him slowly, and he shoved Tea off. "And you stay away from me, girl."

"Yes, Bakura." _Why didn't he do that sooner? Could he really like me in spite of everything? _"But I don't understand why you keep pushing me away."

"You're a brat, Tea. That's the end it." _But is she really?_

Mai was relaxing next to Joey, both of them watching the screen with intent worry. "Try not to worry too much about Serenity," Mai whispered to Joey. "I'm sure she'll be okay. Malik isn't anything worth worring about."

"Thanks, Mai." He looked over to her with a quick, warm smile before quickly turning back to his sister's plight, hearing Malik's laughter as Serenity hit another rack of suitcases. He winced sympatheticly and Mai quietly took his hand with a meaningful look.

"Why don't you two just kiss already?" Duke sneered, popping up between them with a grin that made both of them drop one another's hands. Mai's balled into fists: Who did Duke think he was, insulting her like that? She noticed Tristan smirking too...

"Why don't you and Tristan just kiss already, then head off to bed?" Mai shot back nastily.

"Dude, your mind is messed up!" Tristan snapped at her. "Me? Him? What are you, some kind of gay matchmaker?" Duke's eyes were wide, but he could do nothing but sputter.

"Why, you like the coupling?" Joey snapped. "Don't listen to them, Mai."

"Look at you, mutt, so completly in love with her," Kaiba said. "Love is sickening."

"I'll show you sickening!" Joey lept up, but Mai was just as light on her feet and stood between them, one arm restraining Joey, the other hand coming out of nowhere and wacking Kaiba quickly across his face. "It's okay, Joey. He's not worth your time." A reluctent Joey fell back, muttering about how lucky Kaiba was that his girl didn't like bloodshead. She turned to Kaiba. "You just don't have anyone to love you."

"I love my brother," Mokuba said in defense, making Duke and Tristan sweatdrop.

"NOT LIKE THAT, YOU SICKOS!" Kaiba yelled at them. "I really do think Mai was right about you two..."

Both moved to round on Kaiba, fists raised.

"Joey, your sister!" Yugi suddenly called out. Everyone stopped what they were doing.

Everyone turned to face the screens and Yugi. "I think it's time we heard some secrets..." Malik said, having climbed up onto the now-empty rack from Serenity's repeditive crashing. Smirking like a self-satisfied cat, he pulled himself up just a bit higher, grinning in an insane way, and began to read.

"Malik, get DOWN!"

"October 22, 2004," Malik's voice said cleanly and loudly.

"I should take notes," Bakura muttered witsfully, but the look on Tea's face alone, so upset and alone, was enough to make him stop there. _I want to make her feel better... What the hell am I THINKING?_

"Dear Diary, Another day, another tournament. You know the hotels they promised to accomindate duelists? I've never seen such a hole in the wall! I'm sharing a room with Ishizu, Mai and Tea. Mai's fine when she's not hanging all over my brother, but Tea I just can't stand. 'Heart of the cards, Belive in yourself... UGH! Well, she's coming over, probably to ask me if I can find the BATHROOM okay... I hate her so much... Later."

"I... was only trying to help her..."

"You ARE annoying, though," Duke pointed out.

"Be quiet, Duke." Ishizu set a hand on Tea's shaking shoulders, well aware, almost too aware, that Yami's eyes were in her back, watching her, watching her every move and making sure that she was okay with herself and with Tea. _He sees you both, he could like Tea... I should not _

"October 26, 2004 Dear Diary, I wonder if Yugi and Yami get on anyone else's nerves, what with their paranoia about the world being taken over... And the Heart of the Cards! Yeesh, how can cardboard have a heart? And Joey's doing so well... Joey's better than they'll ever be, and he's just ONE guy. If Yugi didn't have that stupid Yami, I doubt that he could do anything for himself, like tying his shoelaces. Mai's starting to get on my nerves, like she needs to claim my brother with her lips or something... She's always hanging on him too... All of her outfits are so slutty! Tea's been nothing but annoying, as usual. Obviously, I can't duel, but Mai and Tea CAN! It's so unfair. Shit, Mai's coming. Later! Hope she doesn't read this."

Malik laughed softly. "These are very amusing, Serenity," he said. "One more story for now, then I'll read more if I feel the need. Oh, and the score has changed: 3-1, me."

"GET DOWN FROM THERE AND GIVE IT BACK!"

"Temper, temper," he childed softly, pulling himself back as the angry girl racked the stand. Her hands had taken a stronger grip, and it was all he could do not to fall off.

"I can't belive her... Mai, Yug, Tea... I am SO sorry..."

"It's not your fault, Joey," said Yugi and Yami together, and Yugi looked at his untied shoelaces in shame as his Yami bent down to tie them.

Tea just blinked, her eyes fixed to the screen, looking at the little girl she had once regarded as kind and understanding, as almost like herself.

"I'm not a slut, I'm not a slut, I love you... Joey, I'm not a slut!" Mai leaned into his shoulder.

"I know you're not, and she's going to be in so much trouble..." Joey stroked Mai's hair for lack of other sources of comfort.

"The next one we have for you tonight is very good, folks..." Here he stopped to smirk at Serenity. "Unless you want me to read this, you're going to leave.

Panic clouded her eyes as well as pride. "I will not lose to you," she hissed softly.

"Then I guess I'll read this."

Serenity gulped. She knew that page by heart: It was her entry from the day of the last tournament round, after Yugi had beated Joey in the semis and Kaiba in the finals. Very violent, very wordy, and overall nasty. _But I have to win!_

"November 1, 2004 Dear Diary, I can't belive Yugi just eliminated Joey in cold blood, just so he could 'save the world' or whatever he thinks he's doing. Now shoving Malik and that sorry excuse for a Yami over without mercy was okay, but to just beat up on my big brother like that... How can they call themselves friends? Malik's been nothing but a moron and I was happy he was out, but then Yugi took out Joey just to fight with Kaiba! Kaiba's such a stupid, stuck-up no talent... And his little brother is such a WHINER... Joey could have taken him! But NO, Yugi has to play hero. Mai doesn't seem to mind too much, even though Joey killed her in THEIR duel she's still comforting him... What a love-sick puppy... She dressed even sluttier today, I have NEVER seen anyone in such short, ugly outfits... Then there was Tea, all hyped up that Yugi and Yami won... Makes me want to smack her, it really does, she's bouncing all around the room right now, Mai's still out with Joey, and Ishizu is in the other room with that no-good brother of hers... Sometimes he DOES look kind of sexy, though... If I wasn't so pissed I might go join Ishizu in talking to him. Wonder where Duke and Tristan are, at least they don't have any bragging rights... Even though they are just a pair of assholes... Tristan even more than Duke..."

Malik stopped and spat for a second. "Sexy, am I?" He growled, showing his teeth and making his hands into a cat-like motion. "That's nice to know, darling."

"GET DOWN AND STOP READING!"

The room beyond the camera was full of shocked faces, low muttering, and over-all angry movements.

"And if I have to hear her say 'Heart of the Cards won for you, Yugi,' one more time through this wall, I'm going in there and punching her! Ryou's been calm, as has Bakura... Sometimes I think he's hitting on Tea, but she's too air-headed to notice. Hey, look, it's YUGI, probably wants to know if I want to go out for the celebration. I guess I should, since Joey's being a good sport and going, but he'll be hanging all over Mai, Tea will be being a fangirl... What a bitch... Ishizu might be okay if she weren't around her brother, who I'm too scared to talk to... Kaiba and Mokuba are going to be moody, not that I would talk to them anyway... Ryou and Bakura will probably talk to me, or just to each other. Damn it, Joey... Well, later. At least tommorow we're going to fly out of this hell-hole... Unless something happens..."

Malik shut the book, left it on top of the stand, and moved gracefully down off the suitcase rack. "You can just leave now to save yourself further embaressment... Like that crush you had on Yugi last summer..."

"You evil, foul..." She lept for his head and the pair of them were rolling on the floor, wrestling desperatly, Malik obviously winning.

"I HAVE MORE TALENT THAT YUGI WILL EVER HAVE!" Kaiba thundered.

"I am not a WHINER..." Mokuba whined through his teeth.

Yami took Yugi over to the couch, but neither of them said anything to each other, just looked at the cards in Yugi's hands for a long, long time.

Tea looked at Bakura, who was sitting moodily with Ryou, talking to him, tears clouding her vision slightly. "I never knew I was that annoying..."

Mai remained in Joey's arms, head down on his shoulder. Joey just stared around at his friends, watched Ishizu take up conversation with her brother's evil side, who was making threatening gestuers in the air, to Duke and Tristan, who were aurging, to the girl leaning into his shoulder for comfort.

"GET OFF!" The fighting continued, but this time, not everyone was on Serenity's side.


	6. RockABye Malik

_Raventhedarkgoddess: This was suppossed to be a Thanksgiving present for you guys, but it didn't work out that way, so Happy Belated Thanksgiving. _

**Chapter Six: Rock-A-Bye Malik**

Bakura cast his gaze to Tea, who was staring off into space with tears in her blue opticals, lost. _I wish I could go over to her side..._

_So why don't you? _Ryou's face remained perfectly normal, as if it was natural to talk to his alter-ego with a powerful sense of ESP. _I know you like her... I won't tell anyone, but I still think you two would be really good together._

_Why don't you get lost? _Bakura shot back. _Get out of my head: I'm sick of you. _Bakura turned his back completely to the young boy, who shrugged both shoulders in a fashion indicating that he really didn't care much, and continued to stare at Tea, who was fingering her hair nervously and staring off into space.

_I never knew everyone thought of me like that. I never knew I was so... I never realized... _Tea wiped her tears furiously on the back of her hand, irriated with herself for sheading tears over Serenity. _I thought she was my friend... I thought she was... I don't know what I think anymore... I hate thinking of the bad in people... Maybe that's what's wrong with me... _Tea walked quietly into the shadows to be alone with her thoughts.

Mai looked up at Joey, her blonde hair tangled, her violet eyes rimmed with tears as she lay against Joey's chest. "You don't think the same way as your sister does... Do you?" _Please don't think that way, Joey..._

"Of course not," Joey said quickly, stroking her hair, trying his hardest to untangle the blonde waves. "You're nothing like she thinks. You're... my friend. I love you." _What the heck did I say that for? _He stared at her with quiet intensity. "Please, don't hate me for saying it..."

Her violet eyes lost part of the red rims as she stared back at him. "I love you too." She leaned back against him and the pair of them sat down on the long couch, their hands on each other's shoulders, leaning into the blue material covered in ancient coffee stains. Joey found himself fingering her hair, to which she did not object, and her other hand quietly found his. He smiled: His brown eyes lit up and she could not resist smiling back.

_Sickening... _"Get a room," Kaiba snapped bitterly at the newly-formed couple. He moved a black peice across the board toward Mokuba's king: They were back to the comforting rountine of chess. _Love... So pointless..._

"Come on, big brother, lighten up." Mokuba said, still whining slightly at the prospect of being called a whiner.

At that exact moment, Yugi staggered into the board, upsetting it, lost in his own private thoughts. "Watch what you're doing, you idiot."

Yugi walked away without answering. _Maybe I don't deserve to win, and it's all Yami's victory that actually matters in the end... _He sat down on the couch next to Joey and Mai before the computer screen, virtually lifeless.

Yami decided not to follow Yugi over to the screen. He watched Ryou and Marik walk off to another couch, only to be joined by Kaiba and Mokuba: Now only he, Tea, Bakura, and Ishizu stray from the screen as Yugi, Tristan, and Duke forced Mai and Joey to move over and permit them to sit down.

Bakura moved toward Tea in a single hesitent motion: He found that he could no longer await the confrontion. Ryou's words still rang in his head (If only he had known that Ryou was repeditvly thinking them, putting them there) and refused to leave him alone until he had at least spoken with Tea.

_You'd better be happy, _he hissed at Ryou mentally.

Ryou gave a slight half-turn in his seat and winked. _Wish I had some popcorn to eat while I watch, _he added as a half-witted thought.

Bakura felt his hands tightening into angry fists at Ryou's insolentness. "You little two-timing..."

"Me?" He found himself face-to-face with a shaking Tea. "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes...Er, no...No!" _In the name of Ra... You're five thousand years old... Get a grip... Am I BLUSHING! _

_Is he blushing? _"You probably don't want to talk to a goody-good anyway..." Tea turned away from him.

"Don't take what that brat said into regard. You're fine the way you are." Bakura was torn between feeling good about himself or

"Really?" Tea couldn't resist giving him a half-smile: He made her feel like everything, for once, would work itself out. "Thank you, Bakura." Before he knew what was happening, she had envoloped him in a hug, her arms stretched around his frame, a smile on her lips.

"Really. And it's nothing..." He could feel eyes in his back, could practicly feel Ryou's encoragement not to be the one to break away.

"CUTE!" Duke cat-called. Tristan let out a loud whistle of agreement. Bakura felt Tea drop her grip and the two of them quietly took a seat. Ishizu followed, and Yami made a move to sit by her. She smiled at him gratefully, but their words were quickly cut off by the sound of Malik's voice through the speakers.

"Maybe it's time you and your temper went to bed, Serenity," he mocked from his perch on the luggage stand, having gotten out of the way of her consistent assult, sticking out his tounge in an immature fashion. Serenity lept at him again (He still held her diary above his head) but missed, smacking her head violently.

"Maybe it's time you got down here so I can kick your ass," Serenity shot back, attempting to get ahold of his ankle and drag him to the ground. Everyone stared on, but no one exchanged remarks of sympathy or wit on Serenity's behalf as they had in the beginning.

Because now everyone knew she didn't deserve them.

"No, thank you, because not only would you fail to kick my ass, but you can't even get me on a decent level to do so. Leave now, Serenity. It's not like you can win anyway, and you're humilating yourself before your enemies now."

"I don't have any enemies, freak. Everyone likes me, and they don't like you!" Serenity felt herself dangerously close to tears: She hated the truth, and she hated hearing it from this cold boy even more. "And you're not sexy, I don't know what I was thinking! You're ugly, U-G-L-Y!"

"How immature can you get?" Bakura muttered darkly into Tea's shoulder. Tea didn't respond, but stroked his hair to calm him down, feeling hollow and empty herself. _As trusting as you can get of other people, I guess._

Malik, instead of a protest, just gave a dark chuckle. "I don't know about good little girls, but even ugly people have their bedtime. I'm beyond beauty-sleep, but you seem to think you could use some." Leaving the diary where it sat, he came to the floor and removed a blanket from his bag. "So I'm going to sleep."

Serenity let out a loud snort. "Fine, do whatever you want. I've had it with your idioticness anyway." Pulling out her own faded pink blanket and settling down as far away from her enemy as she could get, Serenity stretched out and pretended to ignore Malik.

Just as her eyes became heavy, however, an idea came into her head.

"We should be going to bed soon," Duke said in an authoritve voice.

"Who died and made you King of the Airport?" Tristan muttered, although his sarcasum went unnoticed.

"No, they don't seem to realize it's only ten-thirty, let's just wait a while and make sure nothing else happens," Yami said cautiously. "I'm... worried about the current situation." Everyone turned to him and nodded, their agreement evident.

"Rock-A-Bye baby, on the tree top, when he falls down, I'll enjoy his long drop. And the further he goes, the faster he'll fall, and there will die Malik, cradle and all," Serenity sang quietly, which made Malik sit up and look at her with a vicious stare.

"Who asked you, anyway?" As he sat up, however, something fell on the floor between him and Serenity from his blanket.

"A teddy bear!" Serenity cried with a smirk, amazed that Malik had a bear, and took the fuzzy bear in her hands. "So THIS is what baby Malik is hiding..."

_Raventhedarkgoddess: Sorry I haven't updated recently, we're picking our high school classesBig stress kind of thing, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I might not update until it's done, although I will be trying. Thanks for all the nice reviews, you guys have been great. And now, off to do my homework... ((Which I WAS hoping to procrastinate on...))_


	7. Bearly Buddy

_Raventhedarkgoddess: I can't wait for summer break... sigh Anyway, thanks, once again, for the reviews, they convince me that I should keep going. And in regards to a few reviews, glad you liked my Rock-A-Bye Malik song, but that was actually just something I randomly added in quick-edit that I thought up out of nowhere, so it took no time whatsoever. Anyway, you don't care what the crazy authoress says, you want to read the fic, so here's your fic._

**Chapter Seven: Bearly Buddy**

"Get your hands off of Bearly Buddy!" Malik cried out, rushing forth to attempt to seize the bear from Serenity's hands. The bear was obviously worn, one eye stitched back on, apparently Ishizu's work. Yami could feel Ishizu turn her head away and lean into his shoulder, obviously embarressed for her younger brother and at her own poor stitching job being so obvious in the patches covering it's body, her face burning red.

Marik, on the other hand, hooted with laughter. "I always told him someone would find out about that stupid bear," he chuckled through his hysterical laughter, his face also beet-red, only from laughter, not embarressment. "And he loves it too, always cuddling it..." More laughter came from his throat, cutting off whatever other embarressing facts he had been about to add to the end of his statement.

"It's name is Bearly Buddy?" Yugi asked quietly, his face totally bewildered. "So that's who he was talking to in the hotel... For a while, Yami and I thought he had an imaginary friend... He would always tell it about the day, and ask it to beat people up when they weren't nice... He sounded a little crazy..." Everyone sweatdropped except Marik, who began to laugh even harder at this statement, slapping his knee in his obvious joy at his host's discomfort.

"So that's it's name, is it?" Serenity side-stepped him, holding the bear out of his reach behind her back, and he began to struggle, vainly trying to get the bear back, almost knocking Serenity to her knees. _He's actually able to care about things... _"How'd a guy like you get landed hauling a bear around, is it the only thing in this world that loves you?"

"She's really cold to him," Mai whispered quietly, and Joey knew there was no point in aurging with Mai when she was, as usual, right. All he could do was nod mutely, both of them listening hard for Malik's comeback, even Joey thinking that Malik didn't deserve to have to put up with his sister taunting him like that.

Instead of an actual reply, however, all that was heard was an inhuman cry of rage. There was no almost about it: This time Malik took direct measures, jumping to his feet, attempting to retrive his bear. "Give him back!"

"Rock-A-Bye Malik..." Serenity began to sing. "Why don't you just admit you made some of that up? Not all of it was in my diary and you know it!" She glared at him with her grey eyes narrowed, holding the battered brown bear behind her.

"All right, all right... Just give me the bear already! So what if I made it up?" Malik moved and his hair flashed around his face. "I want the bear back, Serenity! You can't tell me you don't have something that's important to you!"

"Nothing like a bear! Just people who actually have faith in me, and YOU had to go and mess it up!"

"I did not! Most of that stuff was actually in there! And that bear means something to me! Stop acting like a heartless bitch and GIVE IT!"

"Oh, big bad Malik with his evil BEARLY BUDDY OF DOOM!"

"Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!" Duke and Tristan both looked sheepishly away when they saw the evil glares they were reciving: Everyone was listening intently, waiting for the comeback. Aside from Marik's still-insane laughter, in fact, no one said a word.

"Just give it back! It's one of the only things left from when I was a kid!" He lunged, this time managing to grab the bear and cuddle it to his side, protecting it with his other hand. Instead of firing a clever insult at her or hitting her, however, he went and sat down on his newly laid-out blanket.

"And so he went to bed, holding his bear, which was so 'important' to him..." Serenity sat down on the other side of the room, ignoring him, her back to him.

"I was just a kid when I got this, and Ishizu nicknamed him Bearly Buddy so that I, a kid all alone in a home I couldn't leave, could have a friend. Is it so wrong of me to want to keep something like that? You can't tell me you don't have something like that!" He had, for no apparent reason, turned to face her. "At least you have friends! I was always the outsider!"

"This is getting good," Tristan commented, earing himself a hard SMACK from Tea, her hand hitting sickly off his head.

"SHUT UP!" She hissed at him, burying her head in Bakura's side, Ryou snickering quietly, Bakura threatening him within the mind that if he said one more word he was going to have his eyes ripped out through his skull and be left there to bleed forever.

"I never realized..."

"THAT'S RIGHT! YOU NEVER REALIZED!"

Yami felt Ishizu recoil slightly and held her closer to him, knowing she was watching with growing intensity.

"I'm sorry you had a rotten childhood, but you don't have to scream at me just because we're trapped in this hell cell doesn't mean you had to steal my diary and beat the hell out of me!"

Malik got up, moved across the room, and held out the fraying bear. "Here." He turned away from her, his hair glistening in the light from the overhead track light. "Take it and hold it tonight: Considering that outburst, you could use it more than me." His form ducked under the blanket, turned away from her. Instead of rejecting the bear, though, she held it close.

"Good night, Bearly Buddy, at least I have a friend now," Serenity whispered.

"No fight!" Tristan and Duke cried together. Ishuizu looked thougtful, Marik was sulking, and Joey's face was a comical mix between laughter, rage, and pain. ((Mai was pulling his ear to shut him up.)) "I suppose that's all we'll see. We ourselves could use some sleep," Yami said, and everyone agreed.


	8. Late Night Plan

_Raventhedarkgoddess: Hey, guys! My story got removed AGAIN! What do people have against this story, anyway! It's not interactive! Anyway, I hope you guys like this next chapter, even though I have no reviews now:( Man, this SUCKS!_

**Chapter Eight: Late-Night Plan**

"Serenity," a voice said in the dark, "Serenity, are you awake?" The voice sounded gentle and near her ear, and her left hand shot out and smacked about where the speaker should have been, causing a yelp of pain. "OW!"

"Who are you and what the hell do you want!" Suddenly she felt the tattered bear under her right arm and remembered where she was: Trapped in a room with Malik, in an airport, with no friends and a world full of friends who now hated her. "Get away from me, you pervert!"

"Who said I was a pervert!" The flashlight he picked back up off the ground luminated his face, his purple eyes gleaming, his face full of genuine hurt. "I just wanted to talk to you. I feel really... Well, I feel alone."

"Ya, and? Or have you forgotten that you hate me!" Serenity's eyes burned, her hair matted and her eyes glowing. "Don't sneak up on me just to talk in the middle of the night!" She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him. _If I were a pervert, though, I'd think she looked beautiful while she was asleep... And even now... Wait, where the hell did that thought come from! I hate her!_

"I'm... sorry." The words came out quietly and quickly. "I just wanted to ask you... Do you feel like getting back at the others for putting us into this mess?" He pulled the idea out of nowhere, but he felt assured it was a good one.

"Yes." The word didn't come naturally, but slipped out. "Yes I do. They make me so angry..." She couldn't believe it. It was two o' clock in the morning and here she was, spilling her guts out to Malik Ishtar, the boy she'd had her crush on since she'd met him.

"Then why not get back at them? Shock them a little bit?" He leaned closer, whispering faster, hoping no one was awake to see or hear them. "What if we pretend we love each other, act like we're going out when they get up tommorow?"

"Won't that get us in trouble?"

"It'll get us revenge, money, and a Kodac moment!" Malik said. "Are you willing to help me or not?" His voice was still gentle, and so were his eyes. His voice flowed over her, taking her in...

"All right, let's do it. But I don't really love you, got it!" Serenity challenged him, trying to keep authority in her voice. "We're here just because we want the money. We don't care about each other!"

"All right, agreed." He paused, then smirked. "Besides, who could love you?"

Serenity declined to answer the question. _I don't know, _she thought in her head. "Do you want your bear to keep you company?" She tried for a smirk, but the words came out soft and caring.

"You keep him for a while. You need him more than I do." _Besides, _he thought to himself, _I've got you here in the room. _This thought almost made him want to smack himself, but he couldn't, so he lay there quietly until he heard Serenity breathing quietly. He looked over at her: Beautiful.

"Damn it, go the hell to sleep. You're just staging for tommorow." Even as he drifted off to sleep, however, he couldn't keep his eyes squeezed together tight enough to keep Serenity out of his mind, head, and heart.

_Raventhedarkgoddess: I'll try to update again soon, since I know that was short. Please R+R, guys! Whoever reported me is an ass..._


	9. A Plan in Motion

_Raventhedarkgoddess: Thanks to those of you who found this and reviewed again, means a lot to me that people are still interested in this crappy story. Anyway, here's your update. Enjoy._

**Chapter Nine: A Plan in Motion**

Serenity awoke with her arms still around the tiny bear that Malik has given to her the night before. That was when she noticed that someone was curled up behind her, breathing slowly and warmly. She turned to face Malik, who lay behind her, curled up in a small ball as he slept. _Time for phase one, _she thought to herself. "Time to wake up, honey."

The group on the other side of the screen, who were sitting around eating various bowls of ceral the arriving morning clerk has offered them, stared at the sound of Serenity's voice.

"Did she just say... Did she... Did... Did she just call him HONEY!" Joey managed to gasp out, almost choking on the cornflakes he was eating, eyes wide and staring at her sister as she sat up on her knees and began gently shaking Malik's shoulder.

"Come on, honey, wake up," she crooned softly. _I can't believe that this feels natural..._

"Mmm... Five more minutes..." Malik rolled over to face her and opened his eyes slightly. "Oh, good morning." _Did she just call me honey? _He asked himself, but then it all came back to him: He was pretending to love her and nothing more, to get back at those friends of hers.

"Did you have a good night?" She asked him, and then winked. Mai felt Joey go slack next to her, almost as if he might fall over, dead, on the ground at any given second.

"This certainly is a change," muttered Bakura under his breath, holding Tea's hand in his own as she took in the screen with just as much shock as everyone else. To no one's surprise, however, Marik was one to laugh at the scene before him.

"Now look what you've done, gotten them to get together! Good job there, matchmaker Mai Valentine!" He hooted.

"Shut it! This isn't all Mai's fault," Yami pointed out, doing his best to be rational and keep his head.

"He's right! We all agreed to it, so we're all guilty!" Yugi said, trying to shift some of the blame away from Mai, who looked as if, had she not been stunned into tears by watching Serenity help Malik to his feet, she might have started to sob.

"Ah, it was great. I mean, you're great." He slid his arms around her shoulders gently, quietly. "I am really sorry about last night, you know, reading your diary and all... Making that stuff up like that just to get you in trouble..." _You're only stage acting, you're not really sorry... Am I?_

"I'm sorry I harrassed you about the bear, I know how much it means to you and didn't mean to upset you." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me," he answered, then glared definatly at the screen as if to say, "Ha, look at us now!"

"We've got to get in there!" Joey hollored. "Who knows what kind of things he did to get her to act like his girlfriend!"

"Don't be vulgar," Ishizu whispered. "He's a good kid, really he is." Yami squeezed her shoulder gently, her way of letting her know that it was okay, that she shouldn't worry about it.

"She's still our friend, and we should respect her choices..." Tea was cut off by Bakura, who set a hand over her mouth and gave her a warning look. Ryou, who was sitting nearby, smiled at him and Tea, and Bakura could only sigh. _Mental note: Hurt him for that later._

"I forgive you." He dropped his glare at the screen. "Shall we kiss and make up?" He wondered if, laying her head there, she could tell just how much he loved her and needed her, cared about her.

She wondered if it showed just how nervous she was, just how much she really did want this as so much more than stage acting. _Here it goes... _"Yes, yes, let's."

He leaned closer to her and shut his eyes, wondering what he was racing into, and set his lips against Serenity's. He began to kiss her quietly and was shocked at the power of her kiss back, pulled her closer and closer, wondered how enragded everyone at the control room was...

"And now there's love everywhere. Disgusting," Kaiba muttered.

"Brother, you don't have to be so cold!" Mokuba pointed out in a whiny tone.

"Aw..." Said Duke and Tristan together, but it was not because of the brotherly love or because of the love in the room: It was because they wanted Serenity and, of course, thought they had lost their chance to an evil, soul-stealing freak.

"I'm gonna kill her! I'm really going to kill her for this!" Joey appered to be freaking out, but Mai held him into place next to her, digging her long nails into his arm as the two got closer and closer, and Joey grew angerier.

"We really don't have any place to stop them, you know," Yugi pointed out quietly, but Joey ignored him.

The two broke apart. "I love you," Malik whispered, no longer play-acting.

"I love you too." _I really love you._

Ishizu tried not to look too pleased. "We've got to stop them!" Joey was insisting, and Kaiba was laughing at him.

_Can true love be stopped? _She questioned.

_Raventhedarkgoddess: Sorry it's so short, I'm probably gonna wrap it up next chapter. R+R!_


	10. Again?

_Raventhedarkgoddess: Nothing else to say, I'm wrapping it up._

**Chapter Ten: A Plan Gone Wrong**

The gang had been in deep converstaion for five minutes. "I refuse to lose my money because that would be admitting that we're all failures!" Kaiba was practically shouting. "I am not a loser, nor am I a quitter, and I don't intend to part with my money just because your sister is in love with a long-haired, self-centered..."

Both Yami and Ishizu shot him a very nasty warning look and Kaiba fell back into silence, fingering a small chess peice in his right hand before moving the queen sideways and knocking one of the other peices to the floor, which Mokuba ducked down to get.. "Don't worry about them, brother," Mokuba whispered somewhere near his ear as he stood with the small castle peice in his hand, his eyes dancing in his head with anticipation at the thought of Kaiba actually giving in. "Just don't give in."

"We hafta do it!" Joey was yelling. Mai had her hands on his shoulders, restraining him from jumping across the small chess table from where they were still sitting in front of thescreens,showing Serenity and Malik,and strangling Kaiba, who was, once again, playing chess with his little brother. "We hafta get her out of there and find out how he forced her to act like she actually likes him!"

"Now that I know she doesn't really hate us, we have to help her! She's our friend!" Tea was, once again, in full-friendship mode after finding out that it was only what Malik thought of her and not what Serenity had actually written. (Even though that was truly what Serenity had written.)

"I agree. This is all my fault, and I feel so horrible about it now..." Mai tossed her blonde hair back. "I don't care how much is riding on this, we have to get her out of there."

Yami sighed: This was no time for everyone to be fighting. The two lovebirds were practically sitting in one another's laps, and he didn't know how much more he could take of it. "Look," he started, "I don't really understand what this is about, but we we have to get her out soon. Whoever wants to forfit the money, come over here and stand beside me."

Bakura could feel Tea tugging on his wrist. He thought of the throwing stars he had planned to buy, but then he caught the look in her eyes: A pained look that said she needed him to come along. Cursing her and the differences in the way they thought, calm and quiet as opposed to a guy who was planning the domination of this world, (And possibly the next) he followed her to stand by Yami, who already had Ishizu at his side, resting her head somewhere around his left shoulder.

Ryou sniggered mentally, which earned him a look that plainly said he deserved to be smacked, as he too came over to stand beside them.

Mai and Joey literally lept up, something that earned them a laugh from Kaiba. "Can't get up if you don't let go of each other," he pointed out, shedding light on the fact that the real reason Mai had almost tripped was because Joey refused to let go of her waist as they walked.

Tristan and Duke looked at each other and shrugged: Better to follow the others, even though they were the ass-end of every 'gay' joke ever invented now, than to be left all alone with Kaiba, who would most likely strangle them. They moved over among the couples, all of whom still held each other.

Tristan tripped and his hand ended up on top of Duke's shoulder.

Ryou almost laughed, but then noticed he was the only one without a girlfriend. _Oh well._ "How cute," he couldn't resist saying to Duke and Tristan anyway.

"Shut it!" They both shouted in perfect unison.

Ryou mearly smirked at them.

Marik seemed reluctent to come over to the group, but then realized he didn't want to be anywhere near a now-fuming Seto Kaiba and moved over to them quietly and quickly, standing signifigantly apart from the rest of the group, a gesture which Tea noticed and ignored.

"Then it's settled," Yami said simply.

"How can it be settled!" Kaiba fumed. "Just because your pathetic little friends want to stay on your side, pharoah, you assume everyone really cares about your personal opinion!"

"Just shut up, Kaiba."

"As you wish, matchmaker Valentine," he said with a cold sneer. Mai's face instently went livid and pale, but Joey kept a hand on her shoulder as she had done to him; He wanted his crack at him first.

Yugi, who had already been by the door, was now watching the screen with horror, which caused everyone to turn around and follow his gaze to the screen. Serenity was holding onto Malik, and they obviously thought no one was paying attention, because they were talking quietly.

"Do you have to play-act so rough?" But it was too late for them to recall upon those words: The door was open.

"We forfit! What did you do to her, Malik!" Joey was shouting, and everyone else let out a loud groan of regret that he had not heard the words come from his sister's mouth.

"Nothing," Serenity said. "He did nothing."

"Then you and him... Kissing... Hugging... HONEY!" Joey's eyes nearly buldged out of his head. "You... LOVE... THAT..THING!" His horror was evident.

"Everyone's a critic..." Malik muttered sarcastically.

Serenity didn't respond to her brother. Instead she turned to Malik, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him, hard, on his lips. Malik smiled and kissed back: Anything to make a show.

"We should... Uh... Respect her decisions?" Tea offered.

"Tea, just be quiet in this case," her boyfriend said quietly. After shooting him a dirty look, she did fall silent.

"Time for you to go," Said the flight attendent from the night before as she came in, and then noticed the odd scene and sweatdropped. "You might want to catch your flight."

"Domino City, Japan, last call for Domino City, Japan..."

"LAST CALL!" Everyone shouted, and the lovebirds were forgotten for the moment.

"So, what do you think, Malik? Are you mad at me?" Serenity was blushing as she ran beside him, carrying everything she had strewn about the night before, including her incrimianting diary.

"No. I really do like you..."

"Then we should thank matchmaker Mai Valentine," Serenity said with a slght grin, and Malik laughed along with her.

That was when the plane took off, with the gang just outside the gates.

"You can stay here and wait for a plane," The attendent offered.

The Airport Hassle may have been destined to begin again.

_Raventhedarkgoddess: There we go, all done! I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I've enjoyed writing it, sorry if the end feels a bit rushed. (It kind of was.)_


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